Not Able to Write the Ballad of Duan Huego

I wish I could write satire. I can see Duan Huego galloping into the village; his steely eyes talking in the droopy draw-ed teenagers as he smiles at the peasant women who light up when they see him. Old spice in the noon day sun.

Yes, indeed, it could be a laugh riot. Cept I don't know how to write satire. And I don't do humor well. Still, I would kinda start out with something like:

The Ballad of Duan Huego

Imaging, if you will, the sound of a galloping horse, a mighty steed with a manly man in touch with himself. So in touch with the wisdom of the ages he is all knowing, all seeing.

Cue out of tune guitar, belching and 1/3 hand clapping.

In the little dusty brown town there are people. Some that wear belts and others that have droopy draws. Some that wear skirts and some that wear over sized peddle pushers.

I probably shouldn't pinch a bit of narrative structure from all those Saturday afternoons watching movies like A Fistful of Dollars. I probably can't do that without some attorney drooling over possible infringement.

To appropriate a saying from my UK friends, "bugger off " if any attorney is in litigation mode. I'm not writing it. 

Anyway, back to the non-story story:

I imagine that Duan Huego has come to fix the town. Not that anybody actually asked him to. The man has his public and private agendas and feels duty bound to express one or the other at the barrel of a gun.

First, he caps all the droopy draw-ed young men because, well, it is easier to dispose of young men than to deal with structural and environmental conditions that caused their pants to droop.

Sure, he could have allowed them to continue wandering around trying to find some way to support themselves but that would involve actual contact and conversation.

Duan Huego ain't got time for that. He just wipes them all out and tell the town to start again. Yes, there will be wailing and many of the town members would be upset. As Duan Huego clamps down on the Twinkie half hanging out of his mouth, he knows that sartorial appearances trump indigenous rights of existence. 

And speaking of rights, he....

Hmm. Perhaps Duan Huego doesn't have a Twinkie half hanging out his mouth. It could be a  Chocodile.  Yeah, I like Chocodiles.

Anyway, I can see him rolling and sucking on that Chocodile like a god possessed.

Duan Huego looks on as the town re-allocates money from the schools to the new sports stadium. Not sure who is gonna play in the big game seeing as how he whacked most of the local teams.

But he does support Title IX. In his wisdom, he settles in to coach the ladies basketball team.

One of the women in the town approaches him and ask if he can do anything about those laddie magazines in the supermarket. The ones that have all kind of nakedness and booblification on display at the checkout counter.

Duan Huego looks softly into the woman's eyes and tells her he feels her pain, her anguish and her frustrations of being surrounded by uncaring men in shark-skinned suits. At that very moment, Duan Huego central nervous system shifts to his inner femme.

You know, I don't think they had shark-skinned suits back in the day. Need more research on male fashions in dusty brown towns.

Other women start to approach Duan Huego and they like what they hear. They invite him to dinner, the Sunday lunch and the Fish Fry. Duan Huego doesn't do a dang thing about getting the laddie mags out of the supermarket but he talks so convincingly about the need to do so. Many of the women forget the harm that has been done by eliminating other women's male children.

They decide he is their voice; even though they have voices of their own.

One day, a woman came to town. She recognized the horse. The trail of Chocodile wrappers all up and down the street. The weeping widow whose husband ain't dead but might as well have been since she took up with Duan Huego.

The woman with no name talks to other women about what she knows about Duan Huego. They don't believe her. Some of the members of the basketball team also share that Duan Huego has been coaching a little too much in his after school workout. An elder testifies she has seen Duan Huego with a copy of T--ts and Bits while standing in the checkout.

Hang on, maybe Duan Huego is an asset dude instead of a rack man? Then again, the way he uses his tongue to get what he wants he could be orally fixated. Need to research names of straight male magazines that denigrate women but aren't violently disgusting.

The women on team Duan Huego fight for their man. Who still talks a good game but doesn't do jack. He does put the feel on Maria behind the bleachers as the game is in progress.

Maria has that kind of voice that carries so when the ref called "Foul" Maria followed up with "Oh, God, mmm, Good God Owwwwwww with the ow rhyming with foul.

That sealed it.  The woman with no name was telling the truth. As was the elder and all other women. Everybody could now see it and there was no denying it happened.

Or could it? Yes, even with evidence Team Duan Huego would not relent. Duan Huego himself did a duck and weave as he promised never to enter the stadium again. He still is gonna diddle his woman but this time in private.

No. Not a laugh riot. Not funny. It really sucks. Just like it does in real life. 

A savior by definition is someone who takes your side. Protects you. Doesn't have to be religious to save you or reflect what you believe in. There are people that groups and communities have anointed flawed people to be their spokesperson/public saviors.

Hell, we are all flawed.

And like a true love it is hard to let go of the person that you projected so much time and effort into making what you needed him or her to be. It is the real life version of Juicy Got 'Em Crazy. 

They can't let go. They won't let go. Saviors are really hard to let go of. Because it is hard to say that you made a mistake in judging a person.

The only way to let go is to be willing to listen. And step out of the comfort zone. Not many people are willing to take that chance. It is hard. There is no progress without it.

And that is where we stand at the moment. 

Cue out of tune violin, knuckle cracking and 1/4 hand clapping. Fade to Black.

Read More

Past as It Plays Itself Foward In Time

It wasn't like this. It was gritty. Dirty. There was a smell, sometimes. There was people selling vegetables in boxes on sidewalks or in half stall stores. There were winos and bums and people who had no place to go. People stood around talking all day long. They didn't need talk radio to keep a conversation going.

There were people going to work or to school. The streets were filled with busy people.

It was filled with motion.

There were no tables or chairs outside. No place for them. The sidewalks were narrow then.

There were belching cars and trolleys trying to get some place. Everybody was trying to get some place other than where they were.

Me included.

No, it didn't look like this. I tramped up and down those streets and what I knew is gone. I only have the memory of it.

I remember the good pretzel place where you had to wait for a hot one because they sold out quick. You could have plain with mustard or extra salty. Small, or freaky big. A couple of stores down from the pretzel place was my home away from home bookstore.

The bookstore, I think it was called Robin's, is where they sold alternative comic books. Where I could get a copy of High Times for a quarter. I was more interested in the hydroponics than the weed.

I was a strange person.

I must have been the only person to buy High Times for the articles and to check out Vaughn Bode's comic called Cheech Wizard. Bode was the only cartoonist I knew that celebrated big behind women.

There were days when I'd have just a dollar and have to choose between a photo magazine and three other candidates. If you didn't buy it when you laid eyes on it it could be gone.

One day I found this book called I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Paperback. It was right next to the Ice Berg Slim books . My arms where loaded up but I flipped to a few pages and thought this dude Ellison was on to something.

I fell in love with his writing. I fell in love with how he would talk to you in the fourth wall breaking pages before the start of a story. I didn't care for his gangster books. Gangsters were getting shot up all over town and making the tabloid covers every other day. Fiction couldn't trump that Goombah reality.

I kept my radar out for anything else he wrote. One day when I was able I paid full price cash money for a paperback that had the original script of the City on the Edge of Forever. Then I bought his other books with covers intact.

So when I heard that Harlan Ellison was going to be in Hollywood I thought I could go see him in person. I needed to make amends for buying those first stripped books when I was a teenager.

But meeting inspirations can be tricky.

So this is the past that you need to known to put context to the future that was.

Read More

Yes, We Should UFTW Poem

I have been frigidity all day. Rather than stew in my own juices I'm trying out an experiment. I have wanted to try making video poems. There are people that are doing just that; there is a wonderful site called Moving Poems that curates the various ways a video poem can be created.







If you do check out that site you will discover that there is more than just talking head poets on video or film. There can be dance, animation, performance, text sculptures and a bunch more video poem formats than I have time to type.

I've been thinking about doing this for long time. I'm going to try to make my experiments public and use the Create Video Notebook blog to explain the tools and resources on how to create them.

This is a photo text poem. The text and the photo create the actual poem. Take away one element and it is meaningless or weak. There is no narration and it is open captioned.

Anyway, this is #1 with more to come.

Read More

Gabrielle Bouliane Poem To Help Kick Your Butt

Almost finished with VloMo 2012. Trying to find a way to re-vitalize my other blog and make it more useful and enjoyable. I still struggle with it, trying to find the right voice.

I know I need to step up and find a new path. I know good things are waiting for me once I fight the fear and the often debilitating voices of doubt.




From up on high this is a recording of Gabrielle Bouliane, reading a poem from 2009. Her message is constant and clear.

The grim reaper snagged Gabrielle in 2010.

Get a move on and do what you gotta do.

Read More

The Rinse Cycle by Jan McLaughlin

I know Jan McLaughlin from the Yahoo Videoblogging Group and as one of the early video folks at Vidlicious. She is a profession sound artist, engineer and creator.
 
The Rinse Cycle by soundsgoodtoo

Through the Twitterverse she has posted a poem performed with Bruce Weber.

More poetry, less pepper spray.

Read More

In Memory of Mr. Gil Scott-Heron

I'm tired. I'm tired of the willful ignorance that is romping around as political discussions. On this day one of the great men of poetry and music has pass to the other side. I speak of Mr. Gil Scott-Heron.

I saw the man perform many years ago. I don't know much more to say. I did a tweet. I wrote 480 words in Facebook.

But my heart wants to write a book and nobody reads anymore, so I am told. This is a poem from the (currently) last album Where Did the Night Go?



I can tell you that one of the first things I did when I got my hands on the Internet was to look for him. No joke. He had been quiet for too long and I was trying to catch up. I wasn't alone.

Eventually the silent collective of those of us caring about GSH found out he was in England. Having some turbulence over there with the chemicals. I had to adjust that the man who made it clear to leave the stuff alone was juiced and volatile.

This is The Bottle



It took about 10 years for the BBC interview video to surface on the web. I could see he had been roughed up by his addictions. Gil was still inside but not the same. Still, the silent collective couldn't let him go. We sent invisible good wishes and petitions up on high on his behalf.

These past two years were very encouraging. I didn't care if he was doing covers of blues songs or small snips of poetry. The man was working and staying focus. As much as he could. Maybe the next album would light into the soul like a B-Movie

.

When folks do a tribute page they want other people to know that this person is important. You should know why we honor this conflicted but talented man. He wasn't perfect. Dang sure no angel.

Scott-Heron made it hard to be a fan.

But for a moment we gather and understood what it was and what it could be in terms of storytelling, poetry, performance and musicianship.

I'm about to crash. I need to sleep. Or be sad. Maybe both.

Read More

Thrones on the Finally Friday Freakout

These are The Dears. Dudes been performing for years. They have guitars and voices. They keep their clothes on as they sing. That is about as much as I know.



This is their song called Thrones.

We can make it to Friday afternoon folks. I know we can. Those that watched the wedding I can't speak for you; do the best you can.

Read More

Poetry In Plain Sight - Julia Stein

Poetry can slice through a lot of nonsense. Politicized issues about aging, health care, faith, humanity and even pestilence are made clear line by line.

I listened to Julia's poems and I was uncomfortable, not in a bad way. It was the feelings of recognition. Of the reality of being vulnerable to other people who will take advantage. It is also the recognition of others who will rise up and overcome the darkness but not before a lot of tears.



The discomfort is the reality of remembering to focusing on what is really important. We need to be made uncomfortable if we are to deal with our ever evolving future. This is Julia Stein's poem entitled Where Love Is.

This is also day 21 of National Videoblogging Posting Month.

Read More

Poetry In Plain Sight - Carl Stillwell

It has been too long since I've written a proper poem. I'm hanging out with the poets to find my voice that was shelved for a reason I can't remember. It might have been a job or a man.

I can't remember. Once of the things that I like about spoken poetry and poets is that there is a lot of risk taking. Can you say the words? Will they understand. Will the spirit of the poem come through.

This first poem is in memory of David Stillwell entitled REM Revelation.



Sometime you just have to let things happen. This is CaLokie with Don Kingfisher Campbell riding shotgun on Glory Golden Oldie.



This is my day 19 and 20 videos for National Videoblogging Posting Month.

Read More

Let Your Freak Flag Fly on the Finally Friday Freakout

Yes, let your freak flag fly high on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, or any dang day of the week. Shake it to the left, shake to the right, shake it all around, that what's it all about!

Take off that vestige of conformity; you are off the clock. If you have teenagers who have friends in the house your should especially fly your freak flag and embarrass your offspring.

Ok, maybe just have them groan in utmost shame or something.

To help you get in the mood this is the Laura Love Band plucking away on Let Your Freak Flag Fly.




Now if you observe the video as you are dancing you will notice that folks are a little old to normally be associated with freaking and making with the thumpety-thump.

This is a good thing. Defy expectations at all cost. Speaking of defying expectations, I got an e-mail from the South Coast Repertory Company of Costa Mesa, CA.

There is a theatrical play called "In The Next Room or the vibrator play" by Sarah Rule that is going to be in performance from September 26th to October 17th.

I'll let Jessica Neil take it from here:

It’s a dramatic comedy set in the Victorian era, just after the invention of an electric medical device for the treatment of “female hysteria.” The play focuses on Catherine Givings, the wife of a doctor who’s using the device on his patients in his office, located just off the family parlor. Catherine has just had her first child and is unable to breastfeed. She feels like a bad mother, and she feels distant from her husband. Intrigued by the noises she hears coming from the next room, she befriends her husband’s patients and begins investigating the device, with comical results.

That right. It about the humma humma buzz, buzz! Back in the days when doctors transition from manual manipulations to technological digitization. And I don't mean one and zeros either.

And people think history is dull. As if! If you would like more info about the play visit the South Coast Repertory Theater site.

Now sure there is more to life than the boogie boogie. I'll get back to you on what that is as soon as I remember. I have to find my glasses first.



In the meantime, here is a bit more or Laura Love doing her rendition of Come As You Are.

Read More

Poetry In Plain Sight - Armando Flores Jr.

Men are human beings. Women are human beings. When you separate the cruff and the extreme forms of base nature people there are some good folks who go through bad things. Some of them involve love.

If you are wise you write a poem about it. It was a hot Saturday afternoon but thank goodness the air conditioner in the library was working. This is Armando Flores, Jr. with his poem about the passing of love, Eulogy.



For more info on Armando or his work visit his blog at http://charactersoftheplay.blogspot.com

Read More

Poetry In Plain Sight - CaLokie

I have always loved poetry. I use to participate in a poetry group. I wrote ok but not great poetry. I stopped because the pain of living grew to be greater that the pain of creating.

We need poetry. One of the things I want to see change is the visibility of poetry in our society. Not just by the anointed; it needs to be spoken by those of us on the front lines of life radio back to those to come we lived as best we can and here is what we found on the journey.

This is a touch-up of humanity in these times. This is my small contribution, long delayed.

CaLokie has seen a thing or two and works hard at crafting poems as a reminder that 140 characters does not always cut it - we need to soak up feelings, meaning and intent.

This is CaLokie with a poem about the six month anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.



The Back Story

I have a memory, me, Alice Dayton, Don, CaLokie and a few others were sitting in a restaurant. We were trying to figure out how to advance and move poetry out of the niche or closed society it was in the early 1990s.

We didn't have an answer. We didn't have the full blown Internet that we have today.

A few weeks back I was curled up in the bed remembering what a crummy excuse for a human I was when I looked at the cover of To Kill A Mockingbird. One book, one creative act can change a heart, soul or way of life.

You don't have to write a book. A poem will do. Poems are really good at getting to the essence of our being. You don't have to be perfect.

You just have to write it down.

Or say the words.

Or listen.

Anyway, for how ever long it last I will try to post a poet reading his or her work or interview a poet. The video will be homespun, not fancy and gently edited. All poetry belongs to the creators; they maintain their copyright.

All I'm doing is recording what I experienced on that day. Poetry in plain sight.

Read More

Big Girl You Are Beautiful on the Finally Friday Freakout

Laurie White wrote a post about her body and peoples reactions to her body. The name of the post is How I Got Fat.

As with most things it isn't just about the food but how other people perceived the validity of your body. This current culture is not very affirming. But there are days and there are moments in a day when it is safe to be who you are. I have learned to treasure the minutes and moments that I feel at peace. I am learning to tell the haters inside and outside of my head to go to hell.



Every couple of years or so there is a song to celebrate those of us on the curve swerve side. Sir Mix-A-Lot and Queen come to mind at the moment as being artists who have made a buck or two singing praises for the more puffy among us.

I have no idea who Mika is, he seems like an energetic kind of fellow.



I just zipped over to http://www.mikasounds.com and he is all over the place. Touring that is and singing his songs. Being who he was born to be and hopefully no one is prejudging his singing ability on his looks.

He looks fine to me. The kid is alright.

Read More

Absolute's I'm Here Trailer by Spike Jonze

It is funny how things turn out. A post about a message that I wasn't acceptable to a guy because I was older was syndicated by BlogHer. If you haven't already you should check out the 30 minute movie by Spike Jonze that he did for Absolute Vodka.



The movie was shot in Eagle Rock which is in the northeastern section of Los Angeles with known landmarks between the Eagle Rock Plaza and Pasadena. I liked it because in our rush to become cyborgs there is still a spark of need and for touch.

If robots and automatons can find love maybe there is hope for the organics.

Now I'm not saying you totally have to suspend you thinking skills here. There are plot holes and questions that when you think about it don't make sense.

Then again, ain't that the way love goes?

Read More

Tami Simon - Podcasting for Enlightenment

One of the reasons I have pulled away from traditional broadcast media is that it no longer makes an effort to engage or inspire my mind or spirit. I’m not a rampant intellectual who disdains all forms of entertainment. Let me camp out on a few episodes of Red Dwarf and I’m happy.

But something has been lost. The willingness to tell stories or ideas that are not mentally freeze dried for consumption is slipping away. I started transitioning to public radio for a time but there is a limit to so much news and public affairs programs I can take in a day.

Some days I just can’t take it.



One of my solutions is to continue to educate myself via audio podcasting. Tami Simon is the owner and publisher of Sounds True. The business focuses on audio healing, inspirational and self empowerment recordings. I have purchased recordings from the site.

What I want to share it a free/open section of the web site that anyone can access. It is Tami’s podcast called Sounds True - Insights at the Edge. This is where Tami interviews people who are engaged in a passion, a calling or who are sharing a bit of their life’s work.

What I like about it is that most of the time it does sound like an actual conversation between two people who are talking about something deeper than what was on television that night.

There are names that you might recognize and others that are totally new to you. Let me point out a few folks and then you can mosey over to check it out:

Corinne McLaughlin: The Politics of Dynamic Change What could happen in 2012 that does not lead to death and eternal dang-nation.

Tara Brach: Radical Acceptance How to work through emotional pain to healing.

Terry Tempest Williams: Finding Beauty in a Broken World
A woman who walks into trouble and finds beauty. Stunning interview.

Vicki Robin: Financial Independence: A Redefinition, Vicki is the co-author of the classic and essential guide to getting a grip on your money, “Your Money or Your Life.” In this interview she talks about what financial independence really means.

These are free recordings that you can listen to via your computer, download to your mp3/media player or you accent access them via iTunes. For those of you that are technologically challenged you can read a transcript of the podcast.

Read More

The Gift of Self-Pleasure - Audio Dramas and Recordings

There is more to life that boom-chicka-boom. What if you don't need to see it but you want something warm and tactile as you drift off to sleep. I may have found a few possibilities that could bring you and your mp3 player closer in the still of the night.

There is audio content for women but it took a while to track it down. Let me suggest to you that if you have a mp3 or media player, a bed and some toys you could find yourself drifting into contentment. This is truly can be interactive theater of the mind.

Here is what I found on the journey so far:

Silken on Sex puts the lit in clitoris entertainment. To sample her work you can visit iTunes and search under Silken on Sex. These are short, imaginative audio recordings that you can listen to on your iPod or for those of us using alternative devices you can save it on your mp3/media player. These are free to access.

You can also visit her site at http://www.silkenerotica.com. If you liked what you heard and would appreciate a longer story or something a bit more intense than what is permissible on iTunes pony up for the download or CD version.

You can also listen to Erotica Exploration on iTunes.

Back on the Internet,A Woman's Good Night is what I was searching for but did not know it existed. Good storytelling, vocal acting, sensuality and, for me, male voices telling me a story.

From the web site:

It is our philosophy that all women, regardless of their wide range of tastes and experiences, share the need to approach sex with their head first followed by their body; and if the heart gets involved, all the better.

There is an indication of the level of explicitness, the reader, the author and genre. You can listen to a sample of the story before you purchase.

For the frugal and frustrated there is Literotica where you can find audio stories and poetry for a variety of taste.

Now I gotta tell you, you take your chances here. Some of the recordings are a transcription of actual events, i.e. a person left the recorder on during a lovemaking session. This might work for you or not but I can't call it storytelling. It is more like on the scene reporting.

Other recordings are either sex wrapped in a story or storytelling with sex in it. The poor narration from some of the story tellers takes away from the presentation.

One more for the road. Nobilis Erotica is science fiction based audio anthology for those of us that need a little something more than pleasing Mr. Postman.

Read More

Teddy Pendergrass on the Finally Friday Freakout

The tribute videos are all over the joint so what could I share? Well, yeah...most of the videos are from his performances on Soul Train and they (rightfully so - it is their property) have a tendency to DMCA yank a video at a high rate of speed.

This video is from his appearance at the 1993 Apollo Hall of Fame Concert.

Teddy is rocking the chair with Close the Door.



He was the conductor and emissary for a lot of people delivered on the planet. Fellas knew it was harder to say no with Teddy on the FM band backing you up.

I remember when folks heard about the accident. The hospital had to double up the security because women, married women, single women, heck a lot of women came to the hospital. It was that strong.

He has transitioned but he is not gone. We hold in heart much love and respect for his talent and the man he became. This is an interview with Art Fennel talking about 25 years after the accident:



I'll leave you with a taste of When Somebody Loves You Back



If you want more you will have to get out of your comfort zone and go beyond what you know to live a full life.

Read More

Ta-Nehisi Coates Video on His New Book

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a writer who blogs at The Atlantic. He has a new book out called The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.

It is about fathers and sons. Growing up and surviving yourself. This is a video where Ta-Nehisi is talking about his father and the need for love infused direction:



I check out Ta-Nehisi posts from time to time. I like his writing and perspectives. Most of the time. Which is pretty good. All I ask of a writer is put out original thought.

That doesn't mean that I accept it 100%. I like the option of saying yeah or nay. On this video I'm saying yeah. I hope he does more.

Read More

In Search of the Narrative Paths of Storytelling

I was word hungry. I needed something to scratch a brain cell. It took a few hours but the term narrative discourse finally arrived for exploration. That began my journey.

The narrative is how you tell the story; linear, non-linear, verbal, pictorial. It also includes the grammatical construction. My understanding of discourse is the methods used to tell the construct the tale. The story is the final product.

Maybe that is the problem. There are marketers, politicians, religious organizations and all manner of thought shakers trying to figure out the narrative that will help them extract money or attention.

We tend to embrace the familiar tales because they are safe. The need for the story is real. I’m worried that it is going to be reduced to 140 characters at a time. Sound bites that offer bits and pieces of other lives. What if you need more?

These are a few examples of the alternative paths non-fiction stories can be told. I’m not the only person that is thinking about this topic. Kathy Hansen at A Storied Career writes about the various forms of storytelling. If you have an interest in storytelling make sure you download a copy of her free e-book, A Storied Career: 40 Storied Practitioners Talk About Applied Storytelling.

I Am Here. Do You See Me?

There can be a survival need to tell your story. In the mist of chaos you either create or deconstruct. This is an Al Jazeera news story about a group of Gaza Strip students who blog, podcast and videotape their stories hoping that others will hear and understand what they are experiencing.

I Fell in Love. Where Are You?

Sophie Blackall finds inspiration from the missed connections from Craigslist and other web sites. Sophie creates illustrations from the messages and creates visual expression to lost love opportunities.

I'm On the Road Less Traveled. Can You Give Me A Sign?

Inspiration comes in many forms and persons. Alexis Ioacono explains in an audio recording how actor/filmmaker John Cassavettes led her on the path to perform.

The road less traveled does not have to just be about relationships with other people. What if the story being told was of a disease or medical condition? Does telling the story have to be in a textual form?

No, it doesn’t. There are a number of people using the format of graphic novels to tell stories. Marisa Marchetto is, in her own words, a cartoonista/activista, who wrote and drew her experiences with breast cancer. Her book is called Cancer Vixen

Marisa also has a few textual words to say about the suggestedscreening recommendation. Another place to check out graphic novel journalism/storytelling is the Neiman Storyboard a project of the Neiman Foundation at Harvard University.

There is much more to say about narrative, stories and storytelling. I am discovering a rising sentiment against narrative or even too much narrative.

I will be polite and watch the video. And then I will continue to do everything I can to encourage the people I know and the people I don't to tell their their tale.

I'm a Contributing Editor at BlogHer where this post originally appeared.

Read More

The Lab/WGBH Boston's Open Call for Videos

I like being a part of different communities. Some days I feel like an information conductor. I learned about this from the Videoblogging forum. I posted this on the Create Video Notebook blog, but I want to make sure other folks know about this as well.

The Lab at WGBH Boston is having an open call for three minute or less videos on life, life stories or your take on your journey so far.

One of the first things to do is check out the eligibility and guidelines for the videos. You do have to be over 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen. Those of you younger than 18 years of age can submit videos via your teacher who can contact The Lab/WGBH for submission guidelines.

I think if you have made it this far on the planet you might have an observation or two about the nature of life. If you were waiting for an opportunity to put in your two cents here it is. This is it, go forth and tell what you have learned standing in line at the market looking at magazine covers.

I learn a lot of stuff that way, like how my life is far interesting and way more complicated than the celebrity of the moment.

The Lab/WGBH will accept videos until December 31, 2009. You can do a talking head video but there are other options to tell life stories such as:

• animated photo slideshows converted to a video format
• montages
• mash-ups, if you use your own content or public domain sources
• video poetry or text streams of consciousness wrapped in video
  

and so many more ways than just talking head videos. But if all you got is your head then go forth and speak your piece.

You do want to be very conscious of using copyrighted material. If you have to use other content make absolutely certain it is in the Public Domain and you can document that fact.

I know some really cool people and in the coming weeks I will be secretly badgering them to do this.

Tell your story.

And you? I'm flat out asking. What is life?

Read More